Preparation is the key to any successful project, and websites are no exception. When planning a website design project, it’s essential that you take time to think through your needs before you begin. Not only will it enable you to clearly communicate your objectives to your design team, but you’ll maximize the return on your marketing investment by having a well planned, effective website.
If you feel as though you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. At GreenLife Designs, we’ve helped many clients meet their web design and marketing objectives. To help you get started in planning your project, we've put together this list of important things to consider.
Project Goals
First and foremost, ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. By identifying your key objectives, you’ll enable us to find solutions that will accomplish them. Maybe you’ve just launched a new business or re-branded your company – maybe your customer service is swamped in answering information requests all day – maybe your current website is 100% Flash and you have poor search engine results.
If you’re unsure of your objectives, then ask yourself these questions:
- Why do you want a new website?
- Or, why do you feel your current website is not adequate?
- What are you trying to accomplish with this project?
- What should this project do for your business?
- Why should your customers come to your website?
- What are your competitors doing that you should also be doing also?
You may have a list of objectives, so try to prioritize them in terms of importance. We will ask you for your objectives at the beginning of your project, so spend some time thinking them through ahead of time.
Website Content
It goes without saying that content is king. Your content is the most critical aspect of your website because it defines your brand and conveys your message online. As one of the first steps in your project, we will help you organize your content by creating a sitemap or content outline. In preparing for your project, you should have a good sense of what information you want to present to your website visitors and near final-draft copy. We will then help you refine this and dig a bit further, if needed.
Here are some common considerations when planning your content:
- Company – about, history, team, location, service areas, contact information
- Offerings – product or service list, descriptions, pricing, FAQs, case studies
- Brand – slogan, testimonials, videos, white papers, downloadable brochures
- Legal – terms of use, privacy policy, conditions of sale
Design & Style
So far, everything defined up to now is very helpful in producing an objective focused website. To help in the design of your site, you will need to provide us with all brand and creative assets that your company uses such as your logo, color requirements, illustrations, photography, etc.
Sometimes it can be challenging to dig up these items in high-qualtity format, as it may have been a while since they’ve been used. So, it’s wise to begin the process of finding these files as soon as you can. If you need to have photographs taken of your business, service, products or team, schedule those as soon as possible to prevent delays in your project. As well, be sure to forward existing promotional materials, such as brochures, catalogs, fliers, etc., as these items will provide valuable insight into your brand and style.
Budget & Schedule
Last but not least, the project budget and schedule are vital considerations in planning your website design project. These will be discussed up front with us so everyone has a clear understanding of expectations.
In an effort to create the ideal website for our clients, one of our first objectives is to understand what our clients are looking to spend. Each and every website we produce is uniquely different. Because we offer fixed price proposals, we put a lot of effort into finding out exactly what our clients need and aim to balance that within their optimal budgets. By knowing our client’s budget up front, we can honestly and realistically provide a proposal that will enable you to move forward with your project.
Knowing your project schedule and anticipated website launch date is also crucial. If you're working within a time frame, or have been given a mandatory launch date, be sure to bring that up right away. All of our website projects are scheduled for completion in a timely manner. However, occasionally projects may be held up due to delays in client turnarounds and requested website content. When planning your website, be sure to gather as much information as possible so you're prepared to begin your project as soon as possible.
And, GO!
If you've covered all of the above, then you're well on your way to a successful project outcome. By understanding and participating in the planning phase of your website project, you'll be taking the right steps to ensure your website can meet your business objectives and realize it's full potential.
If there's anything we can do to help, be sure to let us know. We look forward to working with you.
